Costa moved to Chelsea for over £30million this summer, following a prolific season in Madrid that saw Atletico storm to the La Liga title.

His 36-goals in all competitions was always going to make him hot property in the transfer market, but Simeone was keen to brush aside any affect it may have on his side.

“The structure of the team won’t change,” he said in his pre-match press-conference ahead of the Spanish Super Cup showdown with Real Madrid on Tuesday.

“The aims and the aggressiveness will be the same because it’s the basis of the side. It gives us the stability to maintain the same style of play.

“The way Mandzukic plays isn’t the same and Griezmann could be similar. Jiménez is in between. He’s the most similar without being the same as Costa, but he can also play as a second striker. Whoever makes us feel the most comfortable will be who plays.”

Dan Connor

Dan is a sports journalism undergraduate from Barry, South Wales. He is a club journalist at West Bromwich Albion and a weekly writer for The Independent’s sport section. Previous work for BBC Sport, BBC Radio and Manchester United has seen Dan cover a range of sport such as rugby union, tennis and Formula One. His expertise lies in Welsh football, in particular with Cardiff and Swansea City.